"I am. What's the problem?" With all the disasters befalling him lately he is becoming paranoid and skittish.
One of the officers lifts his arm and reveals a nano-chip implant gun.
"What the hell are you doing?" Xiao snarled.
Casey hurried over and grabbed Xiao Yan's hand.
"Relax, all the researchers in the Academy have to receive an implant. Two days ago I got mine. It will monitor our heart rate, pulse and other physiological data. It also tracks helps the military to track us, it is for security purposes."
"How does monitoring our physiology keep us safe?"
Xiao Yan felt numerous eyes on him.
"It doesn't hurt."
Before Xiao Yan can react, he hears a muffled sound, an aerosol like sensation spreads from his skin to his heart. The chip implantation is already done.
With this, he is completely monitored.
"Xiao?"
Casey pulled at Xiao's sleeve. Xiao turned his head to Casey, his eyes quite severe.
"Casey, tell me. When did the military begin implanting chips in all the researchers?"
"Hmm. I guess around a half a month ago."
"Two weeks?"
Xiao Yan thinks back and remembers that it was around this time that Shen Bing sent the Surge data they mined from Xiao's brain to the Shire.
It seems this has something to with the Central Research Institute. Do they suspect an infiltrate? It this why they want to monitor the movement of the researchers?
"Xiao, what are you thinking?"
"Nothing。"
Casey doesn't know anything about the Surge data, but Xiao was now quite curious as to what they discovered.
Too bad he couldn't read his own brain.
"Are you hungry? Want to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant?"
Casey smiles up at Xiao Yan and grabs at his wrist. At the mention of food, his childish mannerism are nakedly exposed.
"Hmm. Are there children's meals at the restaurant?"
Casey knits his brows in confusion.
"Children's package?" For Who?"
Before Casey catches on Xiao hurries ahead of him, "for you to eat!"
"You asshole! Xiao! You're dead" Casey waves his fist threateningly and rushes to catch up.
Although Casey is several heads shorter than him, his strength is surprising, Xiao struggles to keep the lead.
Looking back at Casey's red face, Xiao's heart begins to feel lighter and more at ease.
The moment was wonderful!
Before he could turn his head, he crashed so hard into someone's chest that he almost fell to the ground. A strong arm firmly gripped him before he landed and he looked up to see a pair of jovial eyes staring back at him.
"Yo."
Slender eyes meet his gaze, they slope gently and sparkle with a mixture of geniality and provocation. Beside his left eye is a small mole that adds to the inhibition reflected in his eyes.
His was shockingly pale, the light bounced off his alabaster skin. The light's reflect shined in a way that was absolutely captivating.
Xiao noticed that he wasn't wearing the typical white lab coat but rather a familiar black combat suit.
"Special Task Force?"
"Yes." The guy's eyes tilted with a bit of warmth and his finger reached up to Xiao Yan's chin. He teasingly pinches it, as if he were his personal pet.
"Walk a bit more carefully."
Casey finally stumbled up to them and his childish expression instantly became serious.
"Hello. Lt. Wallace."
"Hey Casey, you are as cute as ever. Like a beautiful rose.....with a whole lot of thorns." Xiao's mind wanders as Jane speaks. Something about his name seemed so familiar.
Wait.
Xiao narrowed his eyes as he thought.
Colonel Wallace?
Xiao looked at him with an incredulous expression pulling at his features.
Jane Wallace.
The special Task force elite that stood level with Heine Burton as a killing machine.
Everyone knows that this is the 8th year since Heine was injected with the x-virus. In accordance with a human's ability to handle the burden from the virus's replication rate, his body is likely to fail in the next two years. Jane Wallace is his successor.
So this bloodless looking man who appears as if he has never seen the sun is Jane Wallace?
"Thank you for supporting our research."
Casey spoke with a very robotic obligatory tone.
"Casey, you are very kind, but if the x-virus research is successful maybe us guys can live longer, be a bit crazy a little longer."
"
Jane Wallace leaned towards Casey, his posture suggested he was going in for a kiss. Casey rapidly backed up, grabbing Xiao Yan's wrist and dragging him along.
"My assistant and I are going to eat. We will see you later this afternoon Lt. Wallace." Casey yanks Xiao Yan out of Jane's path as he passes by.
"You can call me Jane, we'll be meeting each month." Jane's voice fades as he walks away and Casey's polite face twists into an increasingly ugly expression.
"What's the matter?" Xiao has never seen Casey show such apparent hostility to anyone before.
"Whenever you see Jane Wallace, stay far away from him."
" Why？"
"We have to collect blood samples from that guy every month, to monitor his virus replication and the effects on his system. Every month the researchers end up in his bed for a one night stand."
"Huh? There aren't that many female researchers. And among them are very few beauties." Xiao Yan finds himself impressed with Jane's taste in females. Quite different from the rest of the special task force. It was difficult to bag a female researcher, they were known to be quite cold and distant. Xiao was surprised that they would risk have sex with a special op. There is no way they don't know of the consequences. Then again he can't really blame them, he has experienced first hand from Maya the effects of the x-virus. Also Jane Wallace was a very attractive man.
If he were not infected with the x-virus and was just an ordinary officer he would be swarmed with women.
"He is interested in men." Casey interrupted Xiao's wandering thoughts. Grinding the words out amid clenched teeth.
Xiao Yan's mouth drops open in shock.
"Haven't you heard all the rumors about Jane Wallace?"
"What rumors?"
"That the men he sleeps with are never able to get it up again"
"What?" Xiao's expression is utter dumbfounded. "Is this a new biological mutation from the x-virus? I didn't see anything in the database about it"
Cassey stared at Xiao Yan with savage expression. "It's a rumor! I'm warning you to stay away from him. Do you get it?"
Xiao Yan sighed and put a hand to his chest, "I never knew the x virus was so terrible."
Casey smashed his palm against his forehead, "To think I thought you were smart...how stupid of me."
____________________________
Xiao Yan was working with Casey one afternoon. The lab was particularly busy and all the research assistants were diligently monitoring the data on their holographic display screens. They were testing Jane Wallace. They tested his general health, indicators of viral suppression as well as tracking his viral load and replication rate.
Jane is lying on a platform. As his body passes through the scanner, the data is automatically downloaded into the main system.
All the researchers were focused on their displays, only Xiao Yan stood idle next to the far wall.
"Hey, I know you. You were with our lovely Casey the other day."
Jane's voice is mellow and light with a slight playfulness, the polar opposite of Heine's steely tone.
Xiao is not so foolish as to think that this man is as harmless as he presents. Rather, his looks make him even more dangerous. Xiao smiled as Casey briefly entered the lab and sternly ordered Xiao to not say a word to, or even look at, Jane Wallace. After issuing his warning, Casey exited the room to continue the study.
Paying Casey no mind, Jane continued to prattle on. Perhaps it was because he was a new face among the researchers, or maybe it was Casey protectiveness, that piqued Jane Wallace's interest.
"So why is it that everyone here is so busy, and you lounge around idly? You get special privileges from Casey?"
Xiao brow twitched as he held back his irritation. This guy really knew what buttons to push to provoke him. He was intentionally putting him on the spot with such a pointedly provoking statement.
He now regretted not following Casey into the observation room.
"How much do you know about the X virus? Do you believe that Casey can adequately study it?"
Ugh, would you die if you stopped talking, Xiao thought as he looked down at his feet.
"So does Casey like you? It was so cute to see him standing in front of you, like a wild animal defending its territory from invaders."
If you don't shut up I will glue your mouth shut. Xiao fumed silently.
"Have you guys kissed? Have slept with him? Don't tell me, you are above such a thing?"
Xiao grumbled to himself, thoroughly annoyed. Do you think everyone has the same type of interests you do? If you have the ability than you can go after Casey. Wait no, he shouldn't doom Casey like that. If you have the ability than you should conquer Mark, he thought. Yes, Mark. Good luck with that.
Xiao Yan kept his head down, no one notices that his thoughts have jumped a million erratic miles away.
"Are you ignoring me because Casey told you that the men I slept with no longer get it up?" It seems this guy was aware of the rumors surrounding him. He can even boldly repeats them...such thick skin.
Xiao looks around to see the reaction of the researchers. None of them even bat an eye. They seem to accustomed to Jane's crass mannerisms. They don't seem embarrassed at all.
"How about you date me? You should know that kissing a task force member is an extraordinary experience."
Jane's voice slowed to a soft seductive rhythm. The sound pulled at Xiao Yan's nerves, stroking across their surface and disrupting his heartbeat.
Xiao know that what he is saying is true, that it is incomparably amazing. From his brief touch with Heine's tongue, Xiao Yan is perfectly aware. The special forces have a weakened x-virus. It accelerates cell division and speeds healing, but also causes other people to become addicted to the exposure. Rolling in the sheets with these guys is no different than taking drugs.
The machine automatically sampled Jane's blood and his physical exam was concluded.
Jane got off the table and stepped up. Xiao Yan was secretly glad that his ear can finally be clean of Jane's suggestive voice.
"Xiao Yan, come here." Casey waved Xiao to the upper level.
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel." Although the two are friends, Xiao makes sure to give Casey proper respect in his lab.
Xiao Yan had just turned to meet Casey in the upper level. He didn't even have time to take a step when his whole body suddenly slammed against the wall. Jane's face quickly closes in and his lips cover Xiao's. It was a kiss that Xiao Yan had never experienced. It was aggressive and provokative. His mouth is so tight against his that Xiao's breathing was completely controlled by Jane. His brain was barely forming shadows of thoughts... everything was blanking out. He felt like a meteor falling through the atmosphere, burning wildly only to disintegrate upon impact.
His sanity slips away and he starts to lose his balance. Jane grips his back and steadies him by pressing hard against him. Jane began to withdraw slightly and a breathless Xiao Yan senses tangle together, then respond violently.
Jane steps back from Xiao one small step at a time, but Xiao Yan is now mindlessly seeking more of the virus. He presses himself against Jane and grabs his shoulder, trying to lift himself up toward his lips. His thoughts are blown apart. Nothing else mattered right now other than getting to touch this man again.
.
Jane was highly satisfied with himself and let out a light laugh.
Suddenly Casey's high voice split through the lab, "Xiao what are you doing?"
Xiao Yan's senses jostle into place and he pushed Jane back glaring furiously at him.
"Feels great, right?"
Those alluring eyes reminded Xiao Yan of a devil posing as an angel.
Between his teeth and lips, Jane's moist breath still lingered. Xiao heart continued to beat violently and remained at that pace for some time.
"I feel very good, don't I?" Jane's whispered into Xiao's ear, his lips grazing the skin. Xiao Yan tried to shrug him away.
"Xiao!" Casey's anger roared through the air as he angrily rushed downstairs.
"I'll be waiting for you at the blue tulip. See you tonight." Jane's lips brush against his ear. His warm breath permeates his skin and flows straight to his brain, blanketing his mind in a thick hazy mist with no exit.
Jane's words had just finished when Casey pulled Xiao away, glaring fiercely at Jane.
"Colonel Wallace! That was too far!"
"Yeah, maybe." Jane ran his fingers over Casey's chin. "Haven't seen you react like this with the other researchers. Is Xiao that different from everyone else?"
"Get out." Casey's eyes were cold enough to freeze over the entire lab.
Jane pauses to give a passing look as he goes to leave. Before he turns away, his gaze wraps over Xiao Yan's body and he feels his breath pause in his chest.
Its because of the x virus...it is because of the x virus.
Xiao Yanadmonished himself as the thought loops through his brain, he vows to resistthe pull of the virus. He tried to calm himself down.
But he can't.
Suddenly the memory of Heine's tongue brushing against his floods his mind. Xiao Yan has deliberately tried to forgeteverything that resides beyond the wrapped up world he now lives in. But Jane'skiss has sliced open the packaging he has bubbled himself into. Heine rushesinto that small opening, soaking every cell in his body with the memory ofthose sensations.